GDHQNHL15_2pg-L.A. Kings 1

NJ Devils Gameday HQ

LOS ANGELES
KINGS WESTERN CONFERENCE
Key Additions:
Adam Cracknell,
David Van Der Gulik
Key Subtractions:
Willie Mitchell
Strengths:
Defense, goaltending, puck
possession
Weaknesses:
Scoring, power play
Offense
One of the most perplexing things about the Kings in recent years
has been their lack of success scoring despite the talent they have
on their roster. Last season, the Kings finished 26th in goals scored
per game with 2.4, only for their offense to explode with 3.4 goals
per game in the playoffs. The Kings would certainly rather figure out
how to score in the playoffs than in the regular season, but it’s still
something the team should place a focus on in the upcoming season.
The Kings are full of forwards who are strong on both ends of the
ice. Leading the way is top-line center Anze Kopitar, a smart player
who doubles as perhaps the Kings’ best defender. Kopitar is rarely out
of position and almost never gets beat in his own zone, but sometimes
goes through stretches of quiet play without much scoring. The same
could be said of almost every forward on the Kings’ roster.
Jeff Carter returns as the best pure goal scorer on the team. Carter
scored 27 goals last season, and chipped in with 23 assists as well as
he showcased improved passing skills. Most of the other forwards on
the team simply didn’t produce up to expectations. Captain Dustin
Brown scored just 27 points, Justin Williams scored 43, and Mike
Richards scored 41 and was demoted all the way to the fourth line.
The team got a huge boost from a midseason trade that brought
Marian Gaborik onto the team. Gaborik was excellent on Los Angeles,
scoring 16 points in 19 regular season games before adding 14 goals
in the playoffs. This team has too much talent to end up among
the bottom five teams in scoring again, but with their defensive
mentality, the Kings are unlikely to score at a better than average
rate in the 2014-15 season.
Defense
If there’s one thing the Kings have become synonymous with, it’s
strong team defense. General manager Dean Lombardi has done a
terrific job of building a group of players who play excellent defense.
It starts with Drew Doughty, the former second overall draft pick and
an excellent two-way defenseman. Doughty hasn’t scored as much as
the team would like but he’s more than made up for it with improved
play on the defensive end of the ice.
The team also got a huge boost from the return of Willie Mitchell,
who missed the entire 2012-13 season. It should not be seen as a
coincidence that the Kings won the Stanley Cup in the last two
seasons Mitchell played. Mitchell is now 37 years old and gone in free
agency to Florida – while the Kings have plenty of strong defenders
to fill that void, the impact Mitchell had on the Kings defense should
not be underestimated.
Just as the Kings have forwards who play well on both ends of
PACIFIC DIVISION
Jonathan Quick, Jake Muzzin, Marc Staal
PHOTO/NHL/Getty Images